Toward a low-jitter 10 GHz pulsed source with an optical frequency comb generator

We demonstrate low residual timing jitter of 10 GHz pulses from a 1.55 ?m optical frequency comb generator based on a doubly-resonant electro-optic modulator. The comb spectral phase is shown to be linear but of different slopes for the two sides of the optical spectrum. The linear phase delay predicts well the measured timing delay of the two pulse trains from the comb generator. The pulse timing jitter is analyzed, and we illustrate that the pump laser's linewidth plays a dominant role in the timing jitter. For Fourier frequencies from 1 Hz to 10 MHz, integrated residual timing jitter at 10 GHz was reduced from approximately 94 fs to approximately 8 fs when the pump laser's linewidth was reduced from approximately 10 MHz to approximately 1 kHz. An electronic servo was then used to stabilize the Fabry-Pérot cavity in the comb generator. Integrated residual timing jitter was further reduced to approximately 6 fs, and the corresponding residual phase noise power density is -105 dBc/Hz at 1 Hz frequency offset from the 10 GHz pulse carrier.